Cameron Norrie was forced to retire from his first-round French Open match against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo due to a rib injury he sustained pre-tournament.
Britain's number one lost the first set in a tiebreak and retired while trailing 2-0 in the second set to Paraguay's Vallejo, who will next play prodigious Frenchman Moise Kouame in the next round after he defeated Marin Cilic in sensational fashion.
It's only the second time in Norrie's professional career that he's been forced to retire from a match, and the first time he'd retired from a Grand Slam contest.
The 30-year-old revealed on the eve of the French Open that he was struggling with a rib issue following a five-hour practice match with fifth seed Ben Shelton, but still intended to participate in the tournament.
The injury casts doubt over Norrie's grass-court season with the Briton scheduled to be back in action in three weeks' time for Queen's.
Norrie had put up a good fight in the first set of his first round contest against Vallejo, who was making his maiden main draw appearance at a Grand Slam.
Vallejo faced the only break point of the opening set before the tiebreak, where Norrie made an assertive start and appeared on course to inflict the first blow against his Paraguayan opponent.
Norrie held a 6-3 lead in the tiebreak, but squandered three set points as Vallejo produced some terrific shots to win six of the next seven points and claim the opening set.
From there Norrie's outing deteriorated, with the Briton double faulting twice to lose the opening game of the second set before receiving medical treatment. Initially deciding to carry on, Norrie opted to retire following further discussions with his coaching staff and the doctor.
Norrie's retirement coincides with the absence of British number two Jack Draper in Paris due to injury.
Draper faces a race to be fit in time for the grass-court season and most importantly Wimbledon as he looks to overcome a knee injury.
Norrie and Draper are not the only British tennis stars to be walking wounded with Sonay Kartal also missing the French Open due to a back issue.
